Fish in gift bags...BAD >:(

[myriam]

A friend was asking me about fish-keeping, because her 4 yr old daughter went to a birthday party where the gift bags for the dozen or so children contained--you guessed it--a goldfish.

She was irritated because she knows nothing about this hobby, and had no intention of getting into it, and now they are stuck with a live animal they know nothing about; besides the fact that they already have a young cat. She put the fish in a tiny bowl with some rocks, and she wasn't sure what to do about keeping the water clean, how to feed it, etc. So I gave her what basic advice I could, and then she was not pleased to find out she'd need a bigger tank for the fish, a filter, substrate, water test kit, plants, etc.

We both agreed it was extremely irresponsible of the birthday child's parents to give fish as gift bag items to small children. I mean, would you send a kid home with a new puppy?! I guess some people don't think fish are that hard to keep and don't need a lot of love and care, which is of course rather ludicrous. And then there are those who just think, "Oh what a cute gift bag item! If it dies, oh well, it's just a fish."

ARGH!

 

[Enki]

If it dies, oh well, it's just a fish.

Some people just don't get it.

There was a thread here a while back about someone with a pile of new bettas rescued from an appointment with the 'porcelain tank'. They were wedding decorations, and had fulfilled their purpose 8O

 

[William]

I feel ill...

 

[oscarbreeder]

Your right people just dont care.
They think throw that goldfish in a tiny bowl and let it sit.
Some people have no clue about fish care and shouldnt even own a fish without the will to learn how to take care of it.
JMO

 

[Guest]

My neice went to a birthday party in September or thereabouts, same deal. I wanted to smack the people. 6 year old girls, just gave em a fish in a bag, what were the parents thinking?!?!?!?!

You get one guess who was pressed into service to make sure "goldie" lived. :x

They had a 10 gallon from her older brother's failed first tank, gravel and some hob filter. I had to run over there and set everything up and miss half a football game I wanted to watch.

The fish is still alive, but mostly due to me. They feed it and turn the lights on and off. I do all the maintanance, cuz we're over there at least twice a month. I bet the rest of the fish from that party are long dead, unless someone else in the house keeps fish.

Come to think of it, I guess I'll be doing a water change over there tomorrow before the Super Bowl :?

 

[Sati]

I think you guys should talk to the parents who did this. If it was a dog you would let them know that it's animal abuse to give it to people who have no knowledge or desire to take care of it.

I wonder how long the things were just sitting in a bag too. If it were me I would have dropped the fish off at the pet store and given it to them.

 

[Guest]

Most parents should not be allowed to have children either IMHO.

 

[Sati]

Most parents should not be allowed to have children either IMHO.

I don't know about most, but I hear ya, heh.

 

[Guest]

I guess I could have said many.

 

[QTOFFER]

Why have fish, over the years, become the ubiquitous, throw-away, party favor, carnival prize of the animal kingdom? Is it simply because they are incredibly cheap to breed or is it because they don't whimper and cry while they are suffering a slow painful death? And why goldfish in particular? They need a relatively humongous tank for their size, they eat like mad, they poop like mad, and they will live for years and years and years if properly taken care of.

I agree with everyone who has posted that to force such a pet on an unsuspecting parent is unconscionable.

And then there are those who just think, "Oh what a cute gift bag item! If it dies, oh well, it's just a fish."

To a six-year-old, a dead goldfish is the end of the world. The angst is compounded by the fact that the deceased was not only a pet, but a prize too - and his/her parents are the ones who will have to deal with it. Betcha the dippy party hostess never thought about that one, huh?

Why can't kids toss a ping-pong ball in a tiny cup and win something less demanding to keep alive....a potted plant for instance?

And the idea of using live bettas as a disposable table decoration is just pure unudulterated evil. What ever happened to cut flowers and floating candles?

 

[myriam]

I so agree! While we are all on this note, doesn't it ever make you so ticked off when people ask if you have a pet, and you say fish, and they say something completely idiotic and insensitive such as, "I meant a real pet, like a cat"? These are the same people who don't think fish deserve the same respect as furry or scaled pets. Screw them...I love my little fishies :x

 

[Enki]

To a six-year-old, a dead goldfish is the end of the world. The angst is compounded by the fact that the deceased was not only a pet, but a prize too

My first fish was a carnival prize goldfish, he lasted about a year and I was so sad when he died I had to stay home from school (first grade-1970)

I am constantly amazed at how little people think about the consequences of their actions

 

[gfishguy56]

The more i try, the more frustrated I become trying to figure people out. Fish as party gifts and party decorations?!?!?!?!. What kind of people think up this crap? As far as I'm concerned, I say we should all vote on a new national or international holiday - "beat an idiot with a hammer" day. Of course, on said day, I'd have to hide out in a brick tree house, but that would be for other reasons we don't need to get into right now. I love fish, and they are my friends .

 

[freshwatergal]

We did the betta decoration thing, but had no plans what-so-ever to flush them at the end of the night. It was for my sisters wedding shower, so we then gave them as gifts to the bridal party. We told them what to do with them, how to feed them, and they needed bigger homes then what we had them in (little fish bowls only for that day.) I had mine for a long while before my cat decided to knock if off my desk and make a midnight snack out of it. What the others did with it I couldnt tell you, but we didn't make them take it if they didn't want it. I think now that the only member of the bridal party who took one home besides myself was a sister of the groom because she loved fish. The other went to my mother, and my sister took the last one. But at least we were responsible about it.

Tiff

 

[QTOFFER]

Freshwatergal, the key is the last line of your post, "But at least we were responsible about it." You apparently had already made alternate plans for the fish and it seems that fishkeeping is a hobby enjoyed by several members of your family.

That said, I think it would be very irresponsible for a non-hobbyist to provide these animals as party favors/decorations because there would be no fall-back plan for them (aside from the Porcelain Perish Portal).

And offering then to non-consenting children at a birthday party would be the worst thing to do.
What six year old possesses the maturity to say "No thanks, I am not adequately prepared to care for such a pet at the present time" when offered a goldfish for winning the 'push an egg across the room with a spoon' game?

 

[freshwatergal]

I agree with that totally, I wasnt by any means saying it was ok no matter what.

 

[QTOFFER]

I wasnt by any means saying it was ok no matter what.

Oh, no, no, no, freshwatergal! I did not get that impression at all.

It's just that using live animals as disposable give-aways gets me riled and I guess I'm just ranting at the choir.

Having spent three months of internal debate prior to buying my first tank, i just can't fathom the idea of someone just giving me fish before I was ready for them..

 

[Christmasfish]

Ohhhh, i feel sick

>shudder< I don't know if I am more sick or more mad!

My 8 year old's already decided that she gives no culls as gifts to friends unless they happen to keep fish already. Most of her culls will go to my knifefish. Specially her top-secret gen 1&2.

The wedding gift thing...uuhhhh! Lucky no PETA members were near to do some rancid militant action. They live to protest that kind of cruelty!

Only the far left extremists....PETA speak up for fish. The SPCA, and Humane society does not consider fish or livestock under any protection. My daughter searched the internet an entire Saturday wanting to complain about "pet-mart" She was ffrustrated and angruy by evening and went to that Report-it site.

A lot of people bite! You try to mention it needs more and they prefer to spout the best theory that allows them to put a tropical fish in a "bowl" with no heat, no water testing and no attentions.
Grr!

 

[Christmasfish]

here is where th e idea came from

Grr!
http://www.petfishtalk.com/shows/030806.htm

 

[Menagerie]

What are people thinking!??
A woman I used to work with told me she used goldfish as centerpieces for her wedding. Since she was the bride, her mother took over the role of buying the fish and setting them out. The mother apparently had no clue and most of the fish died. They left them on the table!!! Could you image going to a wedding and having a dead fish in the middle of the table?
My fiancé’s sister had a better idea; she picked up cute glass fish attached to floating glass balls and placed them in fish bowls for the centerpieces. Her wedding was beautifully done in a marina and cruelty free!